Bobcats-Pistons Preview

By MATT BEARDMOREPosted Jan 05 2013 2:34PM

Detroit Pistons coach Lawrence Frank wasn't pleased with how his team faltered down the stretch in its last game, but the result was yet another win.

Continued production from the Pistons' bench could continue that run, especially with the lowly Charlotte Bobcats in town.

The Pistons go for their first five-game winning streak in three seasons - and their sixth consecutive victory over the Bobcats - on Sunday night.

Up by as many as 19 points in the third quarter, Detroit was outscored 22-11 in the final period of Friday's 85-84 victory over Atlanta. Rookie Andre Drummond's blocked shot as time expired helped the Pistons improve to 4-0 on a homestand that ends Sunday.

Detroit has won six of seven since a six-game slide and is now trying to win five straight for the first time since Dec. 4-12, 2009.

The Pistons also have a chance for their first 6-0 surge at home since a seven-game stretch from March 14-April 4, 2008. Detroit won five in a row at home from Nov. 18-Dec. 3, but it followed that with a five-game skid at Auburn Hills.

"Obviously, we're going to have to be sharper and better down the stretch," said Frank said. "We did a good job in the paint and a good job on the boards, but there is a lot to clean up after this one."

While closing out teams is an obvious concern for a team that's been playing catch-up ever since its franchise-worst 0-8 start, Frank has to be thrilled with his bench production.

Led by Will Bynum (97 points), Charlie Villanueva (78), Austin Daye (68) and Drummond (62), the Pistons' reserves are averaging 52.4 points over the last seven games.

"We're playing really well as a unit right now," said Daye, who scored a season-best 20 on Friday. "I think the starters are feeding off of us, and we're feeding off of them."

It didn't work that way for the Bobcats (8-24) in a 106-104 loss to Cleveland on Friday when their starters had two fewer points than former Piston Ben Gordon (27 points) and Ramon Sessions (20), who became the third set of teammates in franchise history to score 20 or more off the bench in a game.

Gordon (13.4 points per game) and Sessions (14.4) give rookie coach Mike Dunlap one of the highest-scoring bench tandems in the league, but that doesn't address a defense giving up 103.8 points per contest.

Charlotte is yielding a league-worst 53.6 first-half points per game after falling behind 62-48 at the break on Friday.

"The lesson learned here is we can't come out flat as a tack and give up those kind of points early," said Dunlap, whose team failed to win consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 19-21 and has dropped 19 of 20.

Detroit is hitting 46.2 percent from beyond the arc and outscoring its opponents by an average of 10.6 points in the first half its last seven contests.

The Pistons led by at least 12 at the break in three of the four games against the Bobcats last season. The exception was a 110-107 overtime victory on March 31, when Detroit rallied from eight points down with three minutes left in regulation to improve to 11-3 at home in this series.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Walker leads Bobcats past Pistons in OT

Posted Jan 06 2013 11:43PM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) It's not quite a winning streak, but after losing 18 straight, coming out on top in two out of three games is close enough.

Kemba Walker had 20 points and seven assists, Ben Gordon scored 18 points and the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Detroit Pistons 108-101 in overtime Sunday night for just their second win in 21 games.

After snapping the long losing skid with a 91-81 victory at Chicago on Monday, Charlotte lost 106-104 to Cleveland at home on Friday night.

"They're a team that when you score on them, they push it right back down your throat. They come at you 100 times faster than you went at them," Pistons' rookie center Andre Drummond said. "That's one of the teams that when you score, you miss a shot, you gotta get back quick or else they're going to score on you."

Walker's driving layup with 7.8 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 96-all, sending the game to overtime.

"I'm just trying to make the best play possible. Whether it's a pass or making a basket," Walker said. "Tonight it was the basket that put us into overtime."

Then, he and Tyrus Thomas had four points each for Charlotte in the extra period.

"He's got a big heart and he knows how to close a game," Dunlop said about Walker. "He's a special player."

Thomas, who had 13 points, was playing in only his second game after missing six weeks with a right calf strain.

Prince's jump hook with 2:02 left had given the Pistons a 96-94 lead.

Drummond scored six straight points for the Pistons and blocked shot in less than a four-minute span in the fourth quarter, as Detroit led 90-87 with 5:39 left.

However, Drummond then fouled Walker, who hit two free throws with 5:15 remaining to bring the Bobcats within one.

"A loss is a loss, no matter who it's to. Whether it's to Derrick Rose, Kemba Walker," Pistons point guard Brandon Knight said. "Those are just guys on certain teams. It's a team game. It's the Pistons lost to the Bobcats."

The Pistons led 82-79 going into the fourth quarter.

Detroit held a 60-59 lead at the half after Charlotte rallied from a 13-point deficit with less than five minutes left in the second quarter.

Four consecutive 3-point shots, the first three by Charlie Villanueva and the fourth by Stuckey, helped give the Pistons a 58-45 lead with 4:48 remaining in the first half.

"I think they tried to come out and hit us in the mouth in the first half," Gordon said.

But the Bobcats scored the next 10 points - two free throws by Biyombo (4:32), an alley-oop dunk by Jeff Taylor (4:14), two more free throws by Biyombo (3:45), Thomas' two free throws (3:09) and Biyombo's lay-in (2:36) cut Detroit's lead to 58-55.

The Pistons' Knight was credited with a bucket on a goaltending call to make it 60-55 with 1:40 left.

But Walker ended the half with two driving lay-ups with 52.4 and 25.7 seconds left.

NOTES: Bobcats forward Hakim Warrick didn't play because of flu-like symptoms and Charlotte forward/center Byron Mullens was out with a left ankle sprain. ... Gordon is in his first season with Charlotte after spending the previous three with the Pistons. He averaged 12.5 points and 26.9 minutes in 52 games with Detroit last season.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Bobcats 108, Pistons 101

THE FACTS: Point guard Kemba Walker had 20 points, including four in overtime and the game-tying shot in regulation, as the Charlotte Bobcats won for just the second time in 21 games 108-101 over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Ben Gordon, traded to Charlotte during the offseason after three seasons with the Pistons, had 18 points in his return to The Palace. Ramon Sessions added 15 points and Bismack Biyombo contributed 10 points and 17 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince's 21 points led Detroit, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Greg Monroe had 18 points and 14 rebounds and Rodney Stuckey contributed 18 points.

QUOTABLE: "I look forward to every game. There's no hard feelings leaving here. They gave me a chance to come in and play the game I love. Things didn't really work out around here and I have another opportunity where I'm still doing what I love, so it's all good."-- Gordon on his return to Detroit.

THE STAT: 2-12. Gordon claimed the victory was just another game to him but he had never previously defeated his former team until this season. After leaving the Bulls and signing a five-year contract with the Pistons in 2009, Detroit and Gordon lost all 12 matchups against Chicago before he was dealt to Charlotte along with a future first-round pick for Corey Maggette. Gordon quickly got a measure of revenge against Detroit. The Bobcats' other victory during the last 21 games was against his first team as they defeated the Bulls on New Year's Eve, 91-81.

TURNING POINT: The Pistons led 58-43 with 4:48 remaining in the first half and were shooting over 70 percent at that point. Charlotte seized some momentum by finishing the half on a 16-2 run that Walker finished off with two layups. The game was tight the rest of the way.

QUOTABLE II: "We definitely have to put a game like this away. We had them on the ropes at home, and we need to get as many wins as possible." -- Pistons guard Will Bynum after his team lost for the ninth time after leading a game by double digits.

HOT: Biyombo's rebounding total (17) was a career high. His previous best was 15 against Orlando on March 6 last season as a rookie. He grabbed seven of his rebounds Sunday at the offensive end. That helped the Bobcats scored 25 second-chance points.

NOT: Detroit reserve Austin Daye had season highs of 13 and then 20 points in its last two games. Daye was a non-factor against Charlotte, going scoreless in 11 minutes while attempting just one shot.

ROOKIE WATCH: Andre Drummond had 10 points and six rebounds for the Pistons while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Bobcats. Charlotte forward Jeff Taylor added six points but struggled to contain Prince in the early going.

NOTABLE: The Bobcats are 3-1 in overtime, while the Pistons are 0-3. ... Detroit swept the four-game series last season and is 11-4 all-time at home against Charlotte. The teams play three more times this season. ... Gordon has four games with at least 25 points off the bench this season. Only New York's J.R. Smith (five) has more as a reserve. ... Detroit is 1-15 when it gets outscored in the paint. The Bobcats had a 56-48 advantage in that area. ... The Pistons, who have played more games than any Eastern Conference team, get a four-day break and only have three games the next 13 days. ... The Pistons scored a season-high 60 first-half points. ... The teams had a combined five players from the University of Connecticut -- the Pistons' Drummond and Charlie Villanueva and the Bobcats' Gordon, Jeff Adrien and Walker. They combined for 62 points.